The Real India

41. A Peep into Neighbouring Pakistan #2

2012-02-20T17:37:00.002+05:30

Kuigxotic, Kandid Karachi through Fawzan Husain's lens

By Guest Blogger Harish Nambiar

To most regular citizens themajor K-factor of their lives remain how to keep their little imps who want tobe kewl just kwaiet. As this ardentfather is seen doing, ferrying a toy motorcycle, one third the size of the realone he is riding, to his kids at home. — in Karachi, Pakistan.

40. Guest Blogger Ashutosh Kumar and the gods

2012-02-04T15:14:00.002+05:30

Interior of Indian Temple

I though this to be a nice little piece to publish from Guest Blogger Ashutosh Kumar

Ashutosh Kumar ‎" Namaste ". . .from India.

India has two million Gods and worships them All.
In religion and culture all other Countries are paupers ;

[for that matter]
India is the only Millionaire...
Thank you.

Ashutosh Kumar

Worked at Author of

"THE GREAT RETURN OF DOCTOR FAUSTUS" . (Author)

Went to St. Xavier's School, Sahibganj

Lives in Patna, India

Knows Maithili, Bengali, Hindi, English

From Darbhanga

Born on June 4, 1989

39. Guest Blogger kaustubh-kulkarni A Safe Way to Double Money

2012-01-29T18:37:00.000+05:30

Kaustubh Kulkarni Interviewing US Trade Secretary
(Bush Admin) Franklyn Lavin

The Stock Market isa good institution to makemoney. Furthermore, Basket Trading is a good method of making your money growone and half times in just a single quarter. Oh does this sound interesting?Would you like to know more about 'Basket Trading.' here I will give you sometips to make money for yourself.

Look around and you will find there is a race to make money quickly. Sincethe 1990's many financial schemes of making money have mushroomed. Dust has piledup on most of such schemes. Fraud Stock brokers are behind bars. The stockmarkets still stands tall. Maybe because it respects the market sentiments andstays neutral whatever may be the situation. Hence the craze of Dalal streetnever seems to wither-off.

Even the poorest man who knows about the stock market, has dreams of making moneyfrom investing in it. With some risk one can get good returns on the investmentin equities. But you need to have knowledge. The knowledge of investing can begained in the suburban train. Many intelligent investors and advisors couldhelp you become an investor. The investment methods too are different from thatdeclared by the regulator. Also these investors are apprehensive to pay a taxon making money. They do find a friend who suggests them such new methods ofinvestment.

Future and Options, Day trading, Arbitrage are some of the trading methods in thestock market. These are some of the legal methods of investing and trading inthe market. Your trade is registered on the exchange when you transact. Themoment your transaction is registered the exchange, government and the brokerearns some revenue. An investor is always willing to pay a broker some partfrom the profit; but towards the government he is not pleased.

Hence to get themaximum profit people keep on inventingnewer methods of investing. Even without a d-mat account a person can invest. You need to have money andnothing else. This is popularly termed as 'Basket Trading.' This trading method is very popular in the state ofGujarat and in some parts of Mumbaicity. People have lost their entire earnings in such trading instead of makinghandful of money; but the craze to make money drives them crazy and they landup in such mess. Basket trading brokers just refer to the rates on the exchangeand trade on a piece of paper. The entire trade happens in cash. Never afinancial instrument is honoured to buy or sell the equity.

While travelling toMumbai in a suburban train I meta person who was fascinated with the concept of Basket trading. Knowing me as abusiness reporter he queried about Basket trading. I replied to him not to haveheard of this term. He was quite surprised to know that a reporter is unawareabout the stock market and call himself a business reporter.

Later during the day I too invested some time to get knowledge of Basket trading. Atthe end what I could gather is, it is an illegal way of investing. Also therisk associated is much greater than in trading on the exchange. Some investorshave lost their hard earned money entirely. Now some lie on the hospital bedstrying to digest the poverty that they have jumped into. This article will notkill the greed to make more money in a short period; but a piece of advice fromthis oblivious reporter,

“The safest way to double your money is to fold itover once and put it in your pocket.”

Special Correspondent Kautubh Kulkarni-
Freelance services available worldwide:

contact: kaustubh2@gmail.com

http://www.facebook.com/kaustubh.kulkarni1

38 Guest Blogger Shirish Chavan

2012-01-26T17:19:00.003+05:30

During my lecture on Globalization and World Peace (Sept 2010) given at
Rajrishi College for men Alwar, Rajasthan

I received this request from Guest Blogger Shirish Chavan

Dear Eva:
Wish you a very happy and prosperous new year 2012. I am also thankful to you for accepting my request of friendship at facebook. Perhaps you know, through our project "Free and High Quality Education for the Students of India" we are keeping the audio and video lessons for free downloading at the link http://sites.google.com/site/chavan4444/downloads Large number of students are already using these lessons to their benefit.

This project aims to make positive changes in the Indian Educational System. Now this project is approved for voting in the fifth round of "Spark the Rise." Spark the Rise is a movement initiated by the auto-maker Mahindra & Mahindra in which they plan to give grants to good projects on the basis of voting. We badly need your vote to win this grant. We simply cannot win this grant without your valuable vote. This grant will put our project on fast track. Bottom line is that your vote will go a long way in making the positive changes in Indian Educational System.

Making the positive changes in Indian Educational System is a difficult task. Education ministers cannot do this, educationists cannot do this, education-traders cannot do this, education-mafias cannot do this, Tata, Birla, and Ambani cannot do this, but believe me, you, me, and all our friends together can certainly do this. You may recall that sometime back, a merit list of all Universities in the world was prepared by a competent authority in USA and not a single Indian University could figure in top one hundred. Let us join our hands together to change this pitiful, shameful, and insulting situation. I, therefore, earnestly request you to cast your vote in favor of our project. Any person (18 years or above) can cast his/her vote. For details of the voting procedure, please log on to: http://sites.google.com/site/chavan4444/spark

"A friend's friend is a friend," goes an old saying. Therefore, I request you to forward this message to all your friends, perhaps with couple lines added by you. Please spread this word for the benefit of the students of India.
With regards,
Shirish

downloads - chavan4444

Dear Shirish,

I am happy to post this on The Real India blog. Even in the West we know that if you do not belong to the Status Quo or more commonly identified as the “caste” it is difficult to get anywhere and you are always stuck in the gutter. In India this situation is magnified a hundredfold. Those who pertain to the network hang on to their privileged condition and of course it cannot be otherwise: but what about those who are cut off from the educational field- thousands and millions of them- are they to remain forever in the gutter? If this situation remains static, India will remain stagnant too.

So where politics and the Status Quo cannot or will not reach, you and I must.
My best wishes,
Eva Ulian

About Shirish Chavan

Self Employed Consultant

Lives in Satara

Knows Marathi, Hindi, English

Born on March 10, 1960

37. An Invitation from Dr. L P Mahawar

2012-01-19T18:12:00.001+05:30

Lecture (and follow up) held by Eva Ulian at the English Language
Teachers' Association of India ELO@I Jaipur, Rajasthan Septemeber 2010 C/O Dr Ellpee Mahawar
Master Trainer for Project High-TEC Teaching English Communicatively

This is the invitation I received from Dr Mahawar:

Dear Eva,

Hope you are doing well.

I cordially invite you to Sadaa First International Conference (27-29 Jan 2012), Jaipur. The last date for submission of abstracts is 20 Jan 2012. It will be quite encouraging for us if you or some other people of your circle can academically contribute to this conference. They can even send their write ups which can of course be read out.

Kindly visit the link:

https://sites.google.com/site/globalsadaa/first-international-conference

Do forward the information and help promote the event.

Dr. L P Mahawar

This is my reply:

Dear Dr. Mahawar,

Thank you for letting me know of your activities at Rajasthan University which I am more than happy to publish in “The Real India” blog.

Your effort and those of your colleagues to bring some kind of awareness that speaking English is a means of practical communication and not some kind of “monster” to be held in awe by using words which contain more than three sets of syllables, is laudable.

“Only connect...” by E.M. Forster, is his message in the novel “Passage to India” and this is what I personally try to bear in mind when I am communicating with the world of India and its people. If people use long twisted words which pertain only to academic jargon then we limit our connection to a very small group of people, if in effect they do understand what these words mean or just pretend to do so. Furthermore it stifles speech, leaving communication at zero level, especially in conferences and seminars.

One should not feel ashamed for using normal common words because that is the language of Internet, of the world... and if we do not use such words we isolate ourselves in our own ivory tower and do not connect with anyone.

Best wishes for the success of your conference and as always greet you with affection.

Eva Ulian

Links to the Lecture (and follow up) held by Eva Ulian at the English Language Teachers' Association of India ELO@I Jaipur, Rajasthan Septemeber 2010 C/O Dr Ellpee Mahawar Master Trainer for Project High-TEC Teaching English Communicatively

144. The Language of Colours

282. Worldly Language- 3 Poetry

About Dr. L P Mahawar

Master Trainer for Project High-TEC Teaching English Communicatively

Lecturer in English at College Education Rajasthan. Studied at Govt College Ajmer. Lives in Jaipur, Rajasthan.

37. The Ten Most Popular Posts

2011-12-31T20:24:00.000+05:30

Here are the ten most visited post in The Real Indiablog. They have been placed inchronological order starting from those written earliest.

May I take this opportunity to warmly thank all those GuestBloggers who have so generously contributed with their skill, art and thought tothe success of this blog.

Eva Ulian

Home http://evauliantherealindia.blogspot.com/

1. Kumbhalgarh Hidesthe Young Prince Udai #3

2. Speech at GandhianStudies Centre – Part Six

3. From the Ladies ofMeerut- with Love #5

4. Guest Blogger RaminderBakshi #8

5. Guest BloggerGayatri Majumdar #10

6. Guest BloggerRakesh Patel #11

7. Guest Blogger JitendraArolia #12

8. Guest BloggerKannan Gopinatha #17

9. Mumbai TerroristAttack by Special Correspondent Kaustubh Kulkarni #26

10. Guest BloggerAditya Kripalani #31

36. Moments of Joy

2011-12-25T01:45:00.000+05:30

WISHING YOU ALL A MERRY CHRISTMAS

AND MAY THE NEW YEAR BE BETTER

CORO I BORGHI

Via Dante, 45

Centro Don Gnocchi

31020 San Vendemiano

Treviso

35 A Peep into Neighbouring Pakistan

2011-12-07T18:53:00.001+05:30

Kuigxotic, KandidKarachi through Fawzan Husain's lens

Takenin Karachi, Pakistan

This man ekes out a living at the wheel ferrying people whilethe activists of Sunni-Deobandi and anti-Shia group, Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan,pack up to move to another location where they would treat the streets to animpassioned speech and loud sloganeering against the government among others.

Between the two primary frames you can see a pedestrian andtwo youngsters on a motorcycle negotiating their way to home or shop.

— in Karachi, Pakistan.

Guest Blogger

Harish Nambiar

I am a journalist with Reuters in Mumbai.

My first book, Defragmenting India: Riding a Bullet through the Gathering Storm is set to be launched sometime in November. I've set up a facebook page for the book at https://www.facebook.com/defragmentingindia .

34 Guest Blogger Sunil Kumar.

2011-12-04T03:53:00.001+05:30

I was rather intrigued to see this photo on Sunil Kumar’sFacebook page because when I was in India the only dogs I saw were those in thestreets who belonged to everyone. Also Idid not see a single cat...

So Sunil Kumar kindly supplied me with the followingexplanation:

"People do own dogs in India but due to widespread poverty andlack of any popular cultural tradition, there are very few pet dogs here whencompared to dogs roaming the streets who often prove to be an ubiquitous publicnuisance. So far as cats are concerned, you are misled to a wrong assumptionthat there are "no cats" in India simply because cats are notprefered as pets here, and so they are not easily and frequently noticed. Theymostly exist as scared and scary noctunal creatures, prowling on the sly!"

7. Sunil Kumwar Singh

Sunil Kumar Singh

from Lucknow, India

Twitter Profile:http://twitter.com/deepnest

You’ll eventually run out of mirages, and things will just be there!

Facebook Profile: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001215567305

(1) I have seen the seamy side of life from such close quarters for so long that I now know for sure that nothing is more precious than love and peace on this planet.
(2) I surprise myself more often than the world does so!
(3) I believe that there does come a point in the journey of life when the mind has to be asked to make preparations for it's own disappearance with all it's baggage of thoughts!

33. Guest Blogger Kannan G

2011-11-24T15:54:00.001+05:30

THE GREAT INDIAN FIRE

by Kannan G

{A socio-political, philosophical, highly experimental (Literary + Commercial) Thriller}

The Great Indian Fire is not just a commentary on the unhealthy side of the contemporary socio-political life of India. It is not only about corruption and atrocities against women. It is about all these and much more.

For details kindly click here

Bio of Kannan Gopinathan

I am a humble, simple, socially conscious, progressive minded and positive thinking person. I am paralyzed by post polio paralysis of both lower limbs. I love social work and creative writing. I love Love, Life, Light and Liberty.

Links:

http://www.poemhunter.com/kannan-gopinathan/

http://www.poetfreak.com/poet/KannanG

32 Guest Blogger Harish Nambiar

2011-11-07T17:15:00.000+05:30

About: Harish Nambiar

I am a journalist with Reuters in Mumbai.

My first book, Defragmenting India: Riding a Bullet through the Gathering Storm is set to be launched sometime in November. I've set up a facebook page for the book at https://www.facebook.com/defragmentingindia .

I was wondering if I can use your blog the first chapter of my book on your blog. It is rather long, but it fits your description of impressionistic writing. It is an account of a 3-week biking trip across India during the Gujarat riots. The Sage website and amazon etc has a more detailed synopsis of the book.

Thank you,
Harish Nambiar

Part one of a series on my travel through a majorpart of India during the Gujarat riots ... my journey away from the blood andgore of riots to questioning my role, and the roles of others like me, in anIndia seemingly fast polarising along communal lines.

Ride Away From Gujarat RideAway From Gujarat is a result of my travel through a major part of India duringthe Gujarat riots, it is primarily a metaphor for my journey away from theblood and gore of riots to questioning my role, and the roles of others likeme, in an India seemingly fast polarising along communal lines.

Though it uses thetravelogue mode as a devise, it deals more with the people rather than places,and interprets from my own understanding, the reactions, attitudes and theconfusion to the question of secularism among the urban upwardly mobile. Theseare based on those I meet and interact with during the three weeks ofmotorcycling across a huge landmass of India through the shadows of the flamesof Godhra, in March 2002.

The 3000-kilometer ridecovered seven states of India.

It records the attitudesof the educated middle class of urban India, to questions of communal divide,the relevance of religion in today's world, as well as the effect of communalupheavals on the values and attitudes of those who experience these, especiallyas children.

It also maps the urbanconsciousness of India, educated or uneducated, craftsman and conservationist,teacher and businessman. It suggests what I believe, that the non-metro 'urbandiaspora' within India may be the group where the strong communal prejudices ofearlier generations may be fraying.

I have deliberately notasked in-your-face questions nor probed for precise answers as I had donethrough my years as a reporter, rather I have attempted to measure andformulate a perceptive understanding of individual responses in small townIndia, which are at the frontier modernity.

Read the rest of thestory here:

http://www.chowk.com/Views/Society/Intimacies-Remapped

31. Guest Blogger Aditya Kripalani Sound Track

2011-09-25T16:32:00.000+05:30

A new post by Guest Blogger Aditya Kripalani: Sound Track

The one thing which really disturbs me about Mumbai is its soundtrack.

Its soundtrack used to include machchiwaalis selling 'Taazaa paplet', 'aamwalas', the sound of so many sparrows, the soundtrack of planes overhead inSanta Cruz, of local trains near stations, of horses' hooves which took kidsfor a ride for 10 rupees etc.

Now the only soundtrack which dominates every other sound is the sound ofCONSTRUCTION. Everybody is breaking down a wall, constructing another one,false ceilings, Marble seems like it’s being cut everywhere but at the marbleshop. Every home is being re-worked, re-ordered according to Vastu and nooneseems to be happy with their homes anymore.

This sound of construction has killed every other sound.

This is one thing I really yearn for. I remember my trip to Germany and the wayI cherished the quiet. Couldn't believe it. Thought that like Kamal Haasan in'Pushpak' i'd miss the noise but I didn't. In fact in times when the soundupsets me I yearn for that time, that peace in Germany.

Another thing here is horns. And we've all become immune to car horns. No onemoves, with the effect that we honk some more.
The collective frustration, jostling for our rightful space, haq, right tolive, to move seems to come out full throttle in the SOUNDTRACK of ourcity.

Let all think a bit about reducing the noise we create. Small things like lessconstruction, stopping construction during afternoons, keeping our home theatrespeaker volumes low, or using soundproof windows, rubber knobs under chairs sopeople below don't get terrorized when we move them, less honking.

Lets just become aware of our personal soundtracks so we can let Mumbai have abetter soundtrack too.

More ....

About Aditya Kripalani

Works at Lowe Lintas

Studied at Film and Television Institute of India

Lives in Mumbai, Maharashtra

Married to Sweta Chhabria Kripalani

Knows Hindi, English, Marathi, Sindhi

From Mumbai, Maharashtra

Born on October 20, 1981

Website:	http://www.adityakripalani.com

30. Guest Blogger Aditya Kripalani: Footpath Life

2011-09-12T14:40:00.000+05:30

A thought to ponder on by Guest Blogger Aditya Kripalani

Footpath Life

Ever wondered why despite footpaths everywhere you don't feel like walking on them when you're on the road yourself and why people don't seem to either when you're driving or riding?

In a country where space is so so so bloody mindnumbingly expensive, why does nobody walk on the damn footpaths?

Maybe because they're all 'ubad-dhabad, gol-matol, ulta-pulta' and you just can't help feeling like sherpa Tensing and Edmund Hillary when you try using them for a considerable stretch.

Built at slants, with more holes than the roads themselves, the footpaths end before they start, are used by hawkers (Who've paid a rightful hafta for their space), are used by buildings under construction to store their cement and other such air purifying materials or then become homes for the homeless.

So why then are they built.

Because like everything else in the country there is a mandate that makes building them necessary for every contractor. but their quality levels aren't anything close to mandatory. So they're built like a formality like everything else in the country, like the wastebaskets at bus stops which have no base so the kachra comes back onto your foot a millisecond later, or the traffic signals which are timed equally for right turns as well as straight passes even when 90% of the thoroughfare on that road has to turn right, etc. etc.

Footpaths. Damn!

About Aditya Kripalani

Works at Lowe Lintas

Studied at Filmand Television Institute of India

Lives in Mumbai,Maharashtra

Married to Sweta Chhabria Kripalani

Knows Hindi, English, Marathi, Sindhi

From Mumbai,Maharashtra

Born on October 20, 1981

Website:	http://www.adityakripalani.com

29. Video from Dipesh Chandra on India and Spirituality

2011-09-05T18:29:00.000+05:30

Video from Dipesh Chandra

'Prisms of Light' is a feature documentary, currently in post production.

In a world of hatred India stands apart because, let me quote Sunil Singh,

“India is a significant exporter of spirituality to a world that seems to be religiously-volatile but spiritually impoverished.”

Firstly, you cannot export spirituality unless you have spirituality to export and India is prosperous in this because it is rich in tradition and the arts and secondly because it leads the world in IT professional communications.

And what is today’s main channel of communication? I don’t mean through broadcasting, through news media, television... Spirituality is not basically communicated through the media, through broadcasting but on a one to one basis, on an interpersonal exchange between people, not just on occasions but on a daily basis, even hourly, minute basis.

At any time, in any place to anyone in this whole wide world, I can be in contact with, I can touch with my thoughts, ideas, spirituality. Anytime, whenever we want, we can open up internet and we let our computer became our sitting room of the world.

Taken from speech by Eva Ulian held at the Gandhian Studies Center at Ginni Devi Modi Girls (P.G.) College. Modingar, Utter Pradesh- September 2010

Dipesh Chandra (Dips) Biography

Project Manager at Mission Eye International "Appansamachar"

Studied at Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University

Lives in New Delhi, India

Knows Language of Love, Love Kindness Compassion Action,humanityFrom Darbhanga

Born on May 10, 1989

28. Video of my visit at TM University Moradabad, India

2011-08-30T18:07:00.001+05:30

Eva Ulian
The video below is what the kids from India sent me- they have never forgiven me for visiting them. The sound is not good because I wasn't paying too much attention to what I was doing with the mike but we started with the world peace mission, then a bit of phonetics, then the map of the whole of the English Language on a sheet... it was all very informal of course...

GUEST LECTURE BY EVA ULIAN FROM ITALY

WATCH ME WHILE ANCHORING THE SHOW
Length: ‎17:20
Share

My visit at Teerthanker Mahaveer University, Moradabad (India)

27. A Request from Guest Blogger Kannan Gopinatha

2011-08-22T19:20:00.000+05:30

Dear Eva

I welcome you to a new blog titled "MISSION COMBAT CORRUPTION & INDIA RECONSTRUCTION". I request you to positively join in with your valuable comments and opinions. I am sending this request to a few of my friends who I hope will have something significant and supportive to say on this. Together, let’s try to make this a real platform for constructive debate on the very important issue of corruption and on ways to tackle it.

Should you have any lengthy comments or suggestions (between 250 to 1000 words) to make, kindly email it to me (kannan.gopinathan@gmail.com) as a Word document along with a short bio (including any links to be made) and a small photo of yours. In that case I shall post you as a Guest Blogger in the site. If possible, kindly also try to share this with those of your friends who you think will be happy to contribute their thoughts too to this cause..

Please click on the link below to get to the blog:
http://giggleandgoggle.blogspot.com/
With thanks, regards and best wishes,
Kannan

Bio of Kannan Gopinathan

Links:

http://www.poemhunter.com/kannan-gopinathan/

http://www.poetfreak.com/poet/KannanG

26. Mumbai: Terrorist Attack: by Special Correspondent Kaustubh Kulkarni

2011-07-14T14:51:00.000+05:30

Some of the first pictures of the blast at Zaveri Bazar, Mumbai, India.

By Kaustubh Kulkarni

Yesterday, as I was blogging on India’s home life, bombs were exploding in Mumbai.

It is an honour to host special Correspondent from Mumbai Kaustubh Kulkarni who has posted these photos and made the following comments on his wall in Facebook which he has consented to be viewed by readers of The True India blog.

"Once again the cowardly people have targeted innocent people to create terror. But we Mumbaites are united and will fight against these cowardly people who try to terrorise people.

It is time to strengthen the moral of our police department now. People should not believe the rumours, police is giving information. Do not disturb the police department by crowding at places of the attack. This will help police to act faster and unfold the story quickly.

Mumbai Police commissioner Arup Patnaik says, "there was no intellegence input."

Chief Minister Maharashtra Mr. Chavan says 13 killed and 81 injured in the blast.

Some of the first pictures of the blast at Zaveri Bazar, Mumbai, India.

By Kaustubh Kulkarni

IED device used for the blast says Police Commissioner.

Update from the Chief Minister's office: 17 dead and 100 injured.

BBC says its Ajmal Kasab- the terrorist (convicted in the 26/11 attacks by the Indian court) and also this blast is ahead of US State Secretary Hillary Clinton's visit to India for trade and commerce.

‎

@23hours update from the administration 21 dead and 130 injured in the attack that rattled Mumbai

Union Home Minister updates that there are only 18 deaths and 131 injured. Of which 26 recovered and

discharged from Hospital." By Kaustubh Kulkarni

Related Posts:
276.Terrorism: Mumbai-Oslo

Some of the first pictures of the blast at Zaveri Bazar, Mumbai, India.

By Kaustubh Kulkarni

Kaustubh Kulkarni

Report by special correspondent Kautubh Kulkarni-

Freelance services available worldwide: contact: kaustubh2@gmail.com

http://www.facebook.com/kaustubh.kulkarni1

25. Home: half in- half out: Part 1

2011-07-13T19:56:00.000+05:30

Washing on a line indicates this place is a home

Washing on a line is a sure sign of a home. Laundry appertains to people in a family and since huts, buildings, tents, boxes, anything that stands up on four corners, are incredibly versatile, that’s how I was able to detect what the building I was looking at was used for- where there was washing, I soon figured out, was the living quarters of a family.

This man takes up his position outside his home

The kettles are ready for tea-making to offer guests-
naturally, the tea parlour is outside the house

Precious as a home may be and the commitment people make to acquire one, in this area of India at least in so far as to what I have seen, it is used in a way I call “half in and half out” as can be seen from the pictures.

India is such a vast country that it is beyond a normal human being, like myself and very few others, I should imagine, to successfully portray the multifaceted lifestyle that exists here.

One also takes the bed outside

It is not said a table is only to put things on

This statement, one may rightly presume applies to the whole of India, but it is hardly so; not only does it not apply to the whole country, nor to a whole region or even a city, a village; we are getting close when we restrict such terminology to just a street.

This home also provides a rickshaw service

Gathering outside the front door for a chat

What I have shown so far in this blog is limited to in and around Delhi with smatterings of village life from Meerut- it does not by any means touch upon any other area in India- that will come later and then one can see the differences but also the underlying similarities that blends this country into some kind of national identity.

And as the sun sets, it is time to take the washing in

24. Building a Home

2011-07-06T16:08:00.000+05:30

A home embodies the height of most people’s dreams, anywhere in the world, and India is no exception.

The only people where a home takes second place in their dreams are the Gypsies, the eternal wanderers who as some say “Home is where the heart is,” or the more practical would claim: “Home is where I lay down my sack.”

Even if you fall into the above category the vast majority of human beings would like to have four walls to call their own.

There is very little else in life that gives the sense of security as a home does. So even if one has wild dreams of becoming a millionaire, he/she knows deep down in their heart this is only a bubble in the air which sooner

or later bursts into nothingness-

Not so with a home. A home means security. A home is made up of solid goods, brick, mortar, cement, wood... A home will survive the test of time...

A home is a family affair and women are as much involved in the actual construction of a home.

A home, at the end of the day has the intensity and dimension of happiness like a dream come true...

And in an ever increasing number of cases people strive to make it so...

Big or small, let it be a reality in every corner of the world...

23. Guest Blogger Abhi Gupta

2011-06-27T18:10:00.000+05:30

If you really want to know what the real India is, then, apart from taking observations, try to become a part of it.

Instead of going deep into streets try to go deeper into hearts...

Their suppressed feelings and compromised dreams are far more precious than any treasure.

About Abbi Gupta

Abhi Gupta http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002467754387&sk=wall

I am an engineer and a MBA. Currently I am trying to establish my own business. I am working on a fantasy trilogy; Embers of Light, which first part; The Sacred Secret will be released soon.

22. Home, Sweet Home 3

2011-06-21T15:31:00.000+05:30

Gandhi Memorial- Delhi

The streets of Delhi hold many surprises.

If in the outskirts we find, as seen in “Home, Sweet Home 1” streets of proud, caring residents, the streets in Delhi go from one extreme to another.

A street leading to the Memorial- Delhi

There are decorous streets that lead to the Gandhi Memorial which is placed in congenial and peaceful surroundings, but step outside unto the more populated streets of Delhi and you get a completely different picture.

However, I dare say, the practice of being more at home in the streets than within enclosed walls remains unchanged.

A street in Delhi

It seems the streets are the meeting points for interaction social and business. Homes and business on the streets of Delhi seem entwined. It is the men, however, who appear to stand behind the stalls with their wares.

Building construction goes on in a street in Delhi

The women are probably in their four walled boxed concrete home above, getting the chapatti and curry ready for lunch.

Related articles

21. Home, Sweet Home 2

20. Home, Sweet Home 1

21. Home, Sweet Home 2

2011-06-14T13:57:00.000+05:30

A snippet from our Guest Blogger Raminder Bakshi:

Alas.. we are amongst the unfortunate lot from urban India…

Living a hectic mechanical routine…

Staying in 24x7 air-conditioned offices, cars and homes..

The farmhouse kinda lifestyle enjoyed by the rural and suburban class remains a distant dream :)

Raminder Bakshi

20. Home, Sweet Home 1

2011-06-07T13:21:00.000+05:30

At home - main door

If the traffic on the roads of Delhi, which seem to be a law to themselves, fills a Westerner with alarm, homes may not leave such dismay, but only some perplexity.

A normal residential street in outskirts of Delhi: Uttar Pradesh

There are homes and homes, and certainly back street homes in Naples or some areas of the black country in Britain, or any other areas in the West where there are slums, leave us with apprehension, since in what so

called rich countries there should still be such widespread squalor.

People take care of their home

But homes of ordinary families in the surrounding areas of Delhi as Meerut, are not slums, are not dirty, and may be said to be of working, middle class, if not higher- however, the distinction is really not all that clear.

The houses seen here are ones owned by professional, trade or commercial people who can afford to build and maintain a proper home of their own.

The aim is to build one's own house

So, why should they leave us Westerners with some perplexity?

Washing is always hung outside on the line (apart from monsoon season)

Possibly because the homes are used in a different way. Much of the housework takes place outdoors: the washing, cooking, cleaning of objects, even eating, bathing and sleeping takes place outdoors and the

attachment we feel for our own inner walls of brick and mortar is not so strongly felt.

Compared to the West, homes are lived more from the outside than within

19. Bite the Dust: Part Two

2011-05-31T22:40:00.000+05:30

For a Westerner, the roads of Delhi are hazardous, hence it is inconceivable that you will find such a one behind any kind of steering wheel or even the innocuous cycle hand bar, which brings me to the man powered
two or more wheel cycle.

Most people use cycles for sport or pleasure in the West apart from southern European countries like Italy where there are ladies born halfway through the last century or earlier and never learned to drive, which is quite a number of them- even I didn’t learn to drive until nearing 40!

A number of women from the last century in Italy did not learn to drive
and so even today they use a bicycle to carry home the shopping

But ladies who use cycles in Italy limit the load of transport to a shopping bag or two- I’ve seen overloaded bicycles now and again with multiple shopping bags on both sides of the handle bar, and baskets

full of wares both in front and back, but those are exceptions.

My sister and I on my uncle's cycle 1950s

I have fond recollections of my relationship with a cycle. I learnt to ride one at an early age, also

because just after World War II this was the main source of transport for Italians too, or a cart and horse.

So when I went to Delhi I did feel quite nostalgic to see the use of the cycle put to multiple usage. It is used to transport other human beings dragged in a little seater-cart with its own wheels while the poor rider paddles like mad under a sweating sun at the front. It is used transport in an ingenious, but also potentially dangerous
way a variety of objects that only the imagination and dexterity of a native can do.

Naturally one wonders, how does this affect the rest of the traffic on those great main roads of Delhi?

Strangely enough, in all my ramblings, not once did I see an accident or collision-

However, my heart was in my mouth every inch of the way.

16. Bite the Dust: Part One

2011-05-15T19:17:00.000+05:30

18. Guest Blogger Kannan Gopinathan

The Awakening Indian Youth

Indian Youth:

For decades together sat idle, chasing narrow, selfish aims

If something went against their way, engaged they in laying blames

Indian Youth:

For decades together progressed well in antisocial actions great

Their social duties they displayed by raising arms against the state

Indian Youth:

For decades together wallowed they in dirty, petty politics

Too heedlessly they dabbled in all its thousand twisted tricks

Indian Youth:

See now they are waking up and waking all others also

The real issues realized, firmly they now forward go

Indian Youth:

With a troop of leaders valiant by thought and speech and actions too

Forward ever they now surge knowing well what all to do

Indian Youth:

For a Sachin or a Bachchan, so it was, see, until now

But for a Hazare too now – this is the true Indian Love.

(.....in full appreciation of the excellent support the youth from various parts of our country gave to Shri. Anna Hazare and his team in their recent protests for a Jan Lokpal Bill. What India got in 1947 was Freedom from British Colonialism. But what India is desperately in need of now is FREEDOM FROM CORRUPTION in all sectors. Everyone, especially the Youth have to come up with creative and constructive actions to make this more important freedom struggle find real success.)

17. Guest Blogger Kannan Gopinathan

2011-05-07T12:58:00.000+05:30

17. Guest Blogger Kannan Gopinathan

The Crusade against Corruption

Corruption:

It eats into the very vitals of our fast developing nation

It is so devastating that it denies a poor man even his daily ration

Corruption:

It drains out severely all our wealth and valuable resources

It snaps all our social security schemes; it saps our strong forces

Corruption:

It detains and derails all our developments and progress

It makes the rich race ahead; makes the poor forcefully regress

Corruption:

It puts even our stability and security under severe jeopardy

It has started corroding even our all-important Judiciary

Corruption:

It keeps growing and growing with growing powers

Growing powers who remain ever faithful corruption-lovers

Corruption:

Its tentacles now pitiably extend to all parts of our public life

It’s high time, against it, we put up a concerted nation-wide strife

Corruption:

Crusaders and Movements are gaining strengths here and there

But the higher authorities are still not giving enough care

Corruption:

If right corrective measures to curb it are not applied immediately

A revolutionary outburst of mammoth proportions will rock our country shortly

Corruption:

There are clean and strong persons galore in all our fields still

If they all resolve to join hands it will be more than a Jan Lokpal Bill.

(.....in full support of ‘

India

against Corruption’, Shri Anna Hazare, the great anti-corruption crusader, Other Ardent Crusaders, the Campaign, the Movement and the Jan Lokpal Bill. But, I would like to add here that I believe that just the passing of a Jan Lokpal Bill is not going to bring in any worthwhile changes. A lot more needs to be done. So let this be seen as just the beginning.)

Related Posts: Indian Youth

Bio of Kannan Gopinathan

Links:

http://www.poemhunter.com/kannan-gopinathan/

http://www.poetfreak.com/poet/KannanG

16. Bite the Dust: Part One

2011-04-04T23:15:00.000+05:30

Bite the dust? These gentlemen don't seem to think so!

People round and about Delhi who leave their homes every day to go to work certainly bite the dust, to use a saying of Scottish origin and first used by Tobias Smollet in 1750 to mean fall to the ground, wounded or dead, disintegrate, fall to pieces, topple, tumble or succumb.

Hopefully, it's only "One-Way"

Consider this as an exaggeration if you wish but looking at the way people travel in Delhi from Western eyes, you will appreciate why I personally look upon it as no exaggeration but a daily trudge to Calvary.

They would put you behind bars and throw away the key if a cyclist tried to
carry this load on his bike in the west

In spite of Internet and the widespread use of computers, the possibility of working from home even for office workers, is still a pipe dream.

There is no distinction between mechanical horse power and
real horse power on the roads

So office workers, bankers, bakers, factory workers, doctors, nurses, teachers, students, shop assistants and hordes of other employees scramble together in, on, alongside, on top, under whatever vehicle that moves on one, two, three, four or a multiple of wheels, powered by an engine, two human legs or four animal ones.

See what I mean?

Often it's question of who manages to overtake who
if you want to reach your destination

No, this is not a country road, tractors go on main roads too.
Wonder what's in that curious sack, anyone know?

The man-powered rickshaw is followed by a trail of mini-cabs
often shared by more than one passenger.
The ladies at the side wisely cover their faces

Rickshaws are one of the main means of transporting
goods- it seems

Don't think this lorry would pass an MOT in the west nor would
certain merchandise be insured.

CONTINUES...
19. Bite the Dust: Part Two

15. Guest Blogger Archana Bhattacharjee

2011-03-10T23:12:00.000+05:30

Some days ago Archana Bhattacharjee posted the following remark on her facebook status about women in India which I thought would be interesting to post on the Real India blog.

"The plight of working women in India is really pathetic... both at the work place and home.. no thanks to the continuing patriarchal tradition. Her labour, sacrifice goes unrecognized and ultimately she is reduced to the status of a sheer money earning machine."

Lalan K. S. Commented: I agree that women feel burdened... they probably wish men were never born.

Devojit S. Commented: Oh No Madam things are changing. Now you find husbands working in the kitchen and the wives are out. Thanks to the helping hands you still get in India.

Vikas Stevens. Commented: Things are changing very rapidly. In fact, if you see most families, the women are better educated than the men, and draw better salaries too !!! This is true of middle class families.

Sophia J. Commented: I Agree...

Sunil Kumar Kohli Commented: There is no hard and fast rule. it all depends upon circumstances and mutual understanding.

Archana Bhattacharjee Commented: Am glad that you are unbiased and support my viewpoint Sunil!

I don’t know why people don’t accept the truth gracefully...! Anyway, I still hold on to my views no matter what others say. Reality is what applies to the general lot and not to the minority.

Archana Bhattacharjee

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1782067217

14. Guest Blogger Sunil Kumar Singh

2011-02-20T03:28:00.000+05:30

I have collected some of Sunil Kumar Singh’s remarks about India, made mainly to me on either facebook or Twitter and am posting them here for their wisdom and balance. The answer below refers to a question I made regarding the meaning of the “circle” in the middle of the Indian flag.

"Eva, the circle in the middle of the Indian flag is called 'Ashoka Chakra'. It's the wheel of the law of Dharma. It's not easy to explain the exact meaning of Dharma to a western mind. It's literal meaning is religion but it's not religion as understood by the followers of all the other religions of the world. It's something akin to Truth or satya, Dharma or virtue, and it's expected to be the controlling principle in the life of all those who live, follow and work under this flag.

The circle or, to be exact, the wheel denotes motion. If there is no motion, it's a state of stagnation and stagnation reminds of and amounts to death. So, the circle or wheel is a symbol of life in movement. When this flag was adopted, this circle wanted to give a message that from now onwards, India must move and go forward, leaving the centuries of stagnation behind.”

“ In nutshell, the circle or wheel represents the dynamism of a peaceful change India stands for."

“When you talk about India's young, you can't afford to keep talking only about the urban young. Key to clarity is there!”

“Why remorse? Why apology? Socialism was and is not a bad dream. It wasn't misplaced in India, just misapplied by uncommitted people.”

“Believe it or not, but there is very little that's being sincerely done for emotional integration in our country.”

“A single lamp can remove a huge darkness. Such gestures will eventually go a long way in fighting the curse of corruption.”

“Democracy by itself is just a poetic experiment with power, and like all experiments, it has mixed fortune!”

“India always takes a patient view of disputes, shows global compassion and leads the world in the number of IT professionals.”

“India is a significant exporter of spirituality to a world that seems to be religiously-volatile but spiritually impoverished.”

Sunil Kumar Singh

from Lucknow, India

Twitter Profile: http://twitter.com/deepnest

You’ll eventually run out of mirages, and things will just be there!

Facebook Profile: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001215567305

13. Kite Flying by Rakesh Patel

2011-01-27T03:12:00.000+05:30

Kite Flying is a celebration of joy, which makes

the kite runner touch the sky with their

excitement and hopes

Uttarayan and Kite Festival in Rural Area!

The name Uttarayan is coined from two different Sanskrit words "Uttara" (North) and "ayana" (movement towards). Uttarayana (Makar Sankranti) is the day when the sun starts moving towards north as a sign of coming summer. People from all age groups enjoy flying kites.

“Want to fly this kite on your own?” A boy makes a plea!

This kite festival is celebrated widely in India. The people celebrate this festival by flying kites from the roof of their houses and apartments which is quite common scenario that many are familiar with. But I am going to give you a glimpse of the festival being celebrated by little kids of rural area. I hope you will love it!

What’s there in the sky? A boy, a small kid and a

woman carrying a bundle of twigs eagerly watch the kites flying in the sky…

The kid is in hurry to fly his kites…but in his excitements,

he is confused!!!

These two are wonder-struck!

All are busy flying kites in an open air!

I’m not disappointed

Nor fatigued,

I will fly high in the sky!

Rakesh Patel is a budding poet, writer and teacher. Born on 2 May 1979 in Valsad

(Gujarat), India, he took his Masters Degree (M. A.) in English Literature from The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, India.

He is an active representative (from Gujarat) for STEPHEN GILL WORLD PEACE MISSION. SGWPA, INTER CONTINENTAL (Africa-America-Asia).

Head Office:

StephenGill, Dr. BOX 32, CORNWALL, ONT. K6H 5R9 CANADA (TEL.613-932-7735) Email:stephengillgazette@gmail.com;

Websites: www.stephengill.ca; stephengillcriticism.info

Local Office:

BANSAL INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING &TECHNOLOGY,MEERUT, U.P.

Sharma, Ram. C-26, SHRADHAPURI PHASE2, KANKERKHERA, MEERUT CANTT 250001, U.P., INDIA,E-MAIL-dr.ram_sharma@rediffmail.com, Website: www.stephengillworldpeaceacademy.webs.com

12. Guest Blogger Jitendra Arolia

2011-01-19T16:41:00.000+05:30

The Indian Society is still in male dominated scenario in spite of the decades of progress made, we cannot commit that the Indian women is free to behave as per- their choice be it a rural scenario or the urban one we find that emotional harassment, physical harassment, domestic violence, sensual harassment still exist in their homes and work places.

This was the status of the developed region but as we see in the rural areas the girls are still prohibited to attend schools and colleges, they are married at early age and are deprived of their rights. So, we can say that still there is a need to educate men and society so that a women can feel safe, free and important to the world.

Jitendra Arolia

Research Scholar,
P.G.Dept. of English Studies

& Research
M. L.B. College of Excellence
Gwalior (M.P.)

India

11. Guest Blogger Rakesh Patel

2011-01-12T22:46:00.000+05:30

I don’t have special words for describing “Real India”, yet there are certain events taking place over here in small villages in Gujarat that can represent the true essence of India.

Valsad, the Mango City, where I currently reside and the villages I've been familiar with are worth mentioning. The fine blend of rural and urban settings as well as cultural ethos of the South Gujarat is really a matter of discussion. It is generally said that the clear picture of "true India" is seen in the remote villages: agriculture, cultural traditions, and education.

The availability of the water is abundant there is fine scope for agriculture. But sadly, the monster of industrialization has cast the evil spell on the fertile lands of South Gujarat. Yet,
you can see the positive side of it as well. The industrialization has given the rural-folks fine opportunities for earning their bread-n-butter. As far as women are concerned, they are not confined within the four walls. They get employment in small factories and are happy to be self-sufficient.

For education, people have become more aware of its importance. Even the parents, who are not well educated, have started sending their kids to English medium schools. The condition of women is not miserable as you may find anywhere else in India. I'm glad that most people over here do not have gender discrimination. Parents have realized that boys and girls are equal. You will be surprised to hear that some parents wish to have a girl rather than a boy!

Despite industrialization, you will find here greenery. You will find trees and green farms. Even today, if you happen to stay at night in a village, you can get up afresh and listen to the sweet melody of birds, watch squirrels playing on the trees. Yes, "true India" is here!

Rakesh Patel is a budding poet, writer and teacher. Born on 2 May 1979 in Valsad (Gujarat), India, he took his Masters Degree (M. A.) in English Literature from The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, India. From his schooling, he took interest in creative writing which later on became a driving force for his poetry. Born in a small village in Gujarat, he feels intimacy with nature and much influenced by Romanticists as well as Modernists.
Recently, his poems have been anthologized in an international poetry anthology called POETS FOR WORLD PEACE Vol. I, Vesta Publications, Canada, ISBN: 978-0-919301-31-3.

He is an active representative (from Gujarat) for STEPHEN GILL WORLD PEACE MISSION. SGWPA, INTER CONTINENTAL (Africa-America-Asia).

Head Office:
StephenGill, Dr. BOX 32, CORNWALL, ONT. K6H 5R9 CANADA (TEL.613-932-7735) Email:stephengillgazette@gmail.com;
Websites: www.stephengill.ca; stephengillcriticism.info
Local Office:
BANSAL INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING &TECHNOLOGY,MEERUT, U.P.
Sharma, Ram. C-26, SHRADHAPURI PHASE2, KANKERKHERA, MEERUT CANTT 250001, U.P., INDIA,E-MAIL-dr.ram_sharma@rediffmail.com, Website: www.stephengillworldpeaceacademy.webs.com

10. Guest Blogger Gayatri Majumdar

2011-01-05T15:27:00.000+05:30

10. A view on the condition of women in India from Guest Blogger Gayatri Majumdar in answer to Post 7. From the Ladies of Uttar Pradesh

Very thought-provoking images there, Eva... and I loved the captions... as you say -- Like women all over the world in India too: a woman's work is never done.

We still have a long way to go but you bring a fresh perspective here, which I found interesting.... Thanks so much for this.

And I tend to agree with you too, Carol. Although we are making progress (and probably have come a long way), it's still a constant struggle and there's so much else we have to grapple with almost everyday.

It's more or less the same story all over the country..."

Gayatri Majumdar is a poet, writer...

Edited, published "Brown Critique."

Currently working in a publishing house

and trying to complete her first novel.

9. Guest Blogger Carol T. Noble

2011-01-05T15:14:00.000+05:30

9. A view on the condition of women in India from Guest Blogger Carol T. Noble in answer to Post 7. From the Ladies of Uttar Pradesh

This was interesting, but I think a perspective from inside the business world is needed.

My observation was that there was a great deal of discrimination against women, topped off with a heaping spoonful of condensation, a mirror image of what it is like in the West but with saris (okay, kameeze) and with a great deal of both coming from the women as well as the men.

This, of course, is not to paint all men or all women in India with the same brush. I met several men who had at least an inkling that women should be judged on their abilities, and clearly, Gayatri, there are women like you whose strength of mind and heart see past the restrictive realities of the business world.

What I saw looked like the b-world in the US of the 1970s, so I guess we are all creeping forward little by little. BTW I understand southern India is better for women, esp. Bangalore?

About Carol T. Noble:

I am a professional editor with many years' experience, including one year in India. I live and work in the Boston area with my (British-born) husband and (Kolkata-born) son. My daughter (also Kolkata-born) is presently working on her master's degree in London.

8. Guest Blogger Raminder Bakshi

2011-01-01T01:19:00.000+05:30

A view on the condition of women in India from Guest Blogger Raminder Bakshi in answer to Post 7. From the Ladies of Uttar Pradesh

The biggest paradox is the president of India being a woman… even the driving force behind our prime-minister, a woman (of Italian origin)!! the discrimination is there in all classes but more so in the lower classes.

Yes, there are a number of NGO's who are working towards women empowerment and education.

I, being a feminist can understand this completely.

Things are changing… yet at a slow pace.

Women in India who can actually overcome these obstacles and atmosphere of discrimination and suppression emerge stronger and triumphant than ever!!

They are excelling in their respective fields and can surpass men easily.

About Dr Raminder Bakshi

Dr Raminder Bakshi MBBS, MS, FRCS,

33 years old,

Ophthalmologist (Cornea & Anterior Segment Surgeon) by profession.

Hobbies: reading, playing instruments, sketching and human rights.

7. From the Ladies of Uttar Pradesh

2010-12-18T17:10:00.000+05:30

Commuting is a serious obstacle to a woman's working life

With respect to other Regions, Uttar Pradesh seems to have women in key positions more amply distributed by a long way. I visited four educational institutes, three of them had a women as head. Yet, and as is characteristic of India, there is always a paradox that underlines every phenomena.

I can’t say I noted evidence that women are subservient to males. Maybe there is an unspoken rule that women ARE subservient to males but I did not see this in the homes I visited and it certainly did not occur on the professional field. Gone are the days when women, once widowed, were put on the funeral pyre with their dead husband’s corpse. There may still be arranged marriages, but as I have written in my last blog, even that does not hold any hard or fast rule, and in the end people marry who they want to.

So far, nothing exceptional... what I found which really attracted my attention was that to be a career woman in India cannot be particularly easy. One has to consider that a woman in India, unlike a woman in the West, does not start up her car in the morning and drive to work or drive to the train, bus or whatever station that will take her to her destination.

A woman does not drive in India, as in the Arab countries where the domination of males prohibits a woman to drive, not at all: a woman does not drive in India like most other private citizens, half of which are naturally males. Just a few moments on a main, town, country or village road, and you will soon realize why this is so. There seem to be no kind of laws that regulate traffic... driving in India is a free for all, that is why it is best left to the experts- in other words the drivers of taxis, miniature buses, rickshaws, horse and carts, bicycles, motorbikes, vans, lorries, in fact drivers of anything on two or more wheels are the only citizens who drive in India’s towns and very often also village roads.

Another obstacle for a working woman in India, is that the office, school, university, hospital and so on, is never to be found near one’s home as such places are found in the cities, towns, while homes are often in outskirts and villages. Some women need to travel 10, 20, 30 or even more kilometres to work and that takes hours and hours. If you survive an hour’s traffic in India you are lucky to have covered 5 or ten kilometres. Let’s not forget, a teacher’s wage is less than 1,000 Rupees, namely about 20 Euros, and travel costs are not cheap.

So how some women become heads of a university, school or Institute is one of those Indian paradoxes that can only be described as nothing less than a miracle.

6. From the Ladies of Meerut U.P. # 2

2010-11-29T00:29:00.000+05:30

Now what did I say that was so funny?

From last post:

I did meet quite a number of ladies in my sojourn, not just in Meerut- I made it a point of doing so. To those married ladies with whom I could manage to speak in English, one of the first things I tried to uncover was how they met their husbands and how the marriage system in India works.

Washing Day.

I discovered:

Three in four was an arranged marriage,
Three in four set of partners were of the same caste,

One in four, the lady was of a higher caste,

Two in four of the ladies spoke English,

Two in four had a professional career,

Three in four of the males received a dowry.

Indian Ladies look good also in
Western clothing.

All couples I met had been married from seven years to twenty.

Starting out the day on the right foot.

This young lady is learning at an early age to look after
her brother.

I can look a lady even in a boy's cap.

All were happily married as could be seen in the mutual cooperation and respect shown to each other and there was not the least sign of break-up.

However, one in four of the males felt the marital situation restrictive- therefore I presume his partner may have felt some repercussions of this.

Bath time

Most dogs are not owned-
This is an exception.

There I rest my case. But what conclusions can we Westerners derive from this?
Maybe that Real Love is often a matter of negotiation.

Can anyone be more Princely?

Grandmothers and other female family members
go and help out with the chores at each other's homes
Children wear uniforms to school.

Like women all over the world in India too:
A woman's work is never done.

One thing is certain, who are we to tell the Indians to be influenced by the Western idea of marriage- if the dishwasher breaks down, everything goes to pots!

Related Article:
From the Ladies of Meerut U.P. With Love #1

5. From the Ladies of Meerut U.P. With Love # 1

2010-11-27T04:36:00.000+05:30

Be they old or young, Indian ladies have grace

This lady does not have Wash Day Blues

Westerners, I am ready for a film

These ladies did not get dressed up for the occasion yet
they have style

One thing I noted about India and which truly left me in awe above all things, were the women. Indian ladies, girls have a natural grace which emanate from their whole person. This natural grace is obvious not something contrived or studied for I found it in extreme disadvantaged areas to those who were privileged and anything in between.

Some are a little shy so they take refuge in the cloister
of their gateway

Most marriages show no signs of strain

This is why I want to devote a whole series of blogs on just ladies, and in this particular instance, ladies I found in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, which is about 56 miles east of Delhi.

A normal Monday Morning

During my visit in India there was no time to take notes of what I saw, I used my camera instead. It was only when I was back home in front of my p.c. that I could finally process the information my brain had consciously and unconsciously managed to store. And one of these topics my brain was continuously storing information about was marriage.

A wild beauty film protagonist?

Meanwhile back on the main road
ladies with the flow of their sari

I did meet quite a number of ladies in my sojourn, not just in Meerut- I made it a point of doing so. To those married ladies with whom I could manage to speak in English, one of the first things I tried to uncover was how they met their husbands and how the marriage system in India works.

Girls in uniform on their way to school

Next blog I will post what I discovered.

Speech at Gandhian Studies Centre- Sixth post

2010-11-11T18:15:00.000+05:30

On the way to the Gandhian Studies Centre accompanied by Dr Rita Bakshi
Principal of Ginni Devi Modi Girls College

Sixth Post:

22. communication alone cannot bring peace, harmony cannot be achieved if there is only hatred to communicate

23. one has to have something worthwhile to communicate

24. tools of communication as mentioned above of which India leads the way as the leader of IT professionals

25. communication through internet allows us to transmit values of which India again is leader for the depth of her spirituality

26. The use of new methods of communications can be used to produce harmony among nations.

27. My belief that people need a goal, a plan and the involvement of the individual in order to gain peace.

One of the Directors addressing the assembly in Hindi

Just imagine the situation of such men. If I am the governor of a country and I come here and say to you this folder is red. And since you have a brain and you use your intelligence you say, beg your pardon ma’am, but that’s not red- that’s blue. And I will say you are a liar and I will beat you, torture you until you say it is red. And even if you do eventually say it is blue, I will throw you into prison anyway or execute you... stoning, lashes, hanging, shooting... Imagine there are students who because they demonstrated against their regime 30 years ago, are still locked up behind bars now. And all because they said, this folder is blue. So that’s why I ask myself, why so much hatred?

My speech on Gandhi and World Peace was given in English

The authorities of such countries where such things are happening even today, at this hour, at this moment, they will justify their actions by saying that students’ demonstrations must be suppressed because they will endanger the stability of the country. It is of course just an excuse so as to deprive people even further of their freedom , because if there was freedom in the first place, such uprisings would hardly occur unless they were terrorists. So when freedom is removed we return to being forced to believe what we are told to believe there is only restlessness, because it is not possible to have peace if there is no freedom.

In my life and that counts many, many years because I am an old, old woman, one of the things I’ve noticed is that we human beings are very quick to close ourselves off to others: quick to nurture dislike and even hatred for the outsider, for one who does not belong to our group of friends, clients, acquaintances, social group and so on. I’m not just referring to race, gender or creed here. Need I remind anyone with what suspicion we look upon anyone who wants to draw close to us, to our community: the academic, publishing and financial world, just to give an example, are such closed shops. Non communication, leads to negotiations and non negotiations leads to strife.

In all this strife that there in the world, between nations, among the people themselves within a nation as there is more than one instrument of peace.

And in this India stands out like a shining star- as Sunil Singh who gave me some input for this lecture said:

“India always takes a patient view of disputes, shows global compassion and leads the world in the number of IT professionals.”

If only the countries I was referring to above would take a patient view of disputes, if only they would show global compassion, and if only their number of IT professionals increased and communicated with us, with you and me, if only they communicated with the rest of the world, with the rest of humanity, they would be taking action to create Peace.

It is in this world of hatred that again India stands apart because again, let me quote Sunil Singh,

The Principal of Modi Devi Girls College closes the conference

“India is a significant exporter of spirituality to a world that seems to be religiously-volatile but spiritually impoverished.”

The world is careless towards communication and its significance as an instrument of world peace because the world is spiritually impoverished. Yet India is a significant exporter of spirituality- but how can, does India export this spirituality? Firstly, you cannot export spirituality unless you have spirituality to export and India is prosperous in this because it is rich in tradition and the arts and secondly because it leads the world in IT professional communications. And what is today’s main channel of communication? I don’t mean through broadcasting, through news media, television... Spirituality is not basically communicated through the media, through broadcasting but on a one to one basis, on an interpersonal exchange between people, not just on occasions but on a daily basis, even hourly, minute basis. At any time, in any place to anyone in this whole wide world, I can be in contact with, I can touch with my thoughts, ideas, spirituality. Anytime, whenever we want, we can open up internet and we let our computer became our sitting room of the world.

Internet, thus communication is a fundamental tool to use in creating peace, in exporting our spirituality... and India is champion, not only in exporting spirituality but also in exporting the tools through which this communication is made possible, namely I.T. Bangalore is known as the Silicon Valley of India because of its position as the nation's leading IT exporter. (Name originates from San Francisco in California USA)

So now, as Charlene Li a communication expert from the US says

“we now have a culture of sharing that didn’t exist three years ago. Now we think and act very differently because of these technologies. The societal change that has happened is that we share more.”

These Directors intonate the National Anthem

But real harmony, real peace, I believe is obtained when one is wholly involved in a plan to construct a better life in one’s own country. Set a goal, develop a plan and immerse yourself fully in achieving that aim: the aim for more breathable air, for cleaner water and soil that does not contaminate the fruit and vegetables we grow, for decent sanitation and refuge disposal, in short for a better environment so that you and your children can live longer and in good health.

A final thought on this comes from Mahatma Gandhi:

Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.

Sharing and working together in a plan that leads to a goal opens the way to harmony and understanding, not conflict and hatred. This way you can all contribute to creating world peace- You can also transmit to everyone in the world this peace that you have within you; you can share yourselves, share your spirituality with the rest of humanity. You will notice that when you talk and laugh with one another, you cannot also be angry and hate at the same time. This is the road that leads to harmony and harmony will lead to happiness and happiness will lead to peace... And how do you know when you have achieved happiness? Mahatma Gandhi said:

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.

Be Happy. And as Gandhi said:

The National Anthem

Be the change YOU want to see in the world.

Back to 1

"It is my belief that India will take the leadership in World Peace... For this I came to India."

Eva Ulian, Gandhian Study Center, September 2010

Given by Eva Ulian at Gandhian Studies Centre- Modinagar- U.P.

25th September 2010

Speech at Gandhian Studies Centre Fifth Post

2010-11-09T00:51:00.000+05:30

The Principal Dr Rita Bakshi is being given the garland of welcome

5^th Post

18. The unfairness with which some countries treat women, makes it difficult to create harmony in society and consequently between countries.

19. The need to convert these countries to giving a fair treatment of women

20. the innovations of this century permits means of communications never possible before

21. the need for mankind to communicate

The Principal of Ginni Modi Girls College Dr Rita Bakshi
and the Director of the Ghandhian Studies Centre Dr Aruna Sharma
address the assembly

It is a well known fact, that even the basic right to circulate around one’s own area, for some women is not allowed. In some male dominated countries some women are confined to the home, they are not allowed to be seen with their face uncovered, of course they are not allowed to drive, take a job or love whom they want. And if a young teenage girl who knows next to nothing about sex is married off to a mature arrogant man, as is what usually happens, who frightens her by his abuse, rebels, the husband can go and denounce her for adultery. There is such a girl now in an Iranian jail waiting to reach the age of adulthood so she can then be stoned to death. These events find no reflection in any way to Gandhi’s view on woman, he says :

I will far rather see the race of man extinct than that we should become less than beasts by making the noblest of God's creation, woman, the object of our lust.

It is differences like these that make world peace so tremendously difficult to achieve, however we must not allow those countries to dominate us in the free world with their despotic methods of government. We must not allow them to convert us through fear and threats, we must convert them.

These are not just empty words. These words are a reality that unfold themselves in the fabric of daily life in India, and shortly you will see how.

This century ... this century which is only 10 years old has brought with it innovations which have never been seen in the past before. Innovations such as blogs, official personal websites where forums are held, social websites where people from all over the world interact, the most notable of this is facebook and of course there is still, what appears now almost out of date, email and mobile phones. Today we are in a position to be in contact with anyone we want, from any corner of the world at whatever time and place we want. This kind of communication has never ever been possible before. And the key word is communication because communication allows each one of us to be in contact with another and contact always means that we touch each other with our ideas, beliefs- through communication we are in a position now more powerful to influence other people than ever before.

The land phone, the radio, television, cinema, broadcasting are all part of the last century just gone. At their time, they brought the world closer together because it was possible to know in real time what was happening on the other side of the world. We could share with others from afar the joys of the Olympics, coronations, royal weddings. We could share in the tragedies of earth quakes, the killing of Mohandas Ghandi, President John Kennedy, or even John Lennon. Broadcasting, telephones, faxes, emails was quick, high speed communication which drew us together no matter what point of the universe these events occurred we could participate in the sorrow or joy by just sitting there comfortably on our chair at home. And here I would like to emphasize that I mentioned no matter what point of the universe these events occurred, yes I did say the universe... and not just the earth but also the moon, the stars, yet to be discovered planets... yes indeed from any point of the universe we could now communicate, be in contact with humanity. I’d also like to note that one of the prime objectives of space exploration was to secure contact with humanity.

To be in contact with the rest of humanity is a fundamental need in every man, woman and child. Humanity has an innate need to be in contact with another human being- for as John Donne said: “No man is an island...” And I am convinced that no man lives alone, no man can live without connecting, communicating with another human being-

Dr S.S. Sharma receives a welcome bouquet

So why then, do we hate each other? Yes, why do we hate each other? Why do we throw bombs at each other. Why do some countries not allow women to go to universities, speak in public or even show their face in public and in some places they cannot even drive a car? Sometimes I wonder if the people who make these laws think women have suddenly grown wings that fly them to do the shopping, take the children to school and so on. Why are women stoned to death a barbaric ritual that should be abolished in any civilized society. Is this subjecting a human being to the will of another not in itself uncivilized, women are not animals, a dog or a horse that you have to train... this could well be a joke under other circumstances were it not for the tragic reality that in some countries it is true. Forcing women to a life of male domination and slavery for me is only a clear manifestation of hatred. But hatred does not just stop at women. Some men are also kept in slavery are also forced under the dominion of another being... This does not happen in my country, but in some countries men are banished from their own country, deprived of their birthright, enslaved, captured, tortured and thrown into prison or sent to the scaffold because they believe in other ideals, in other ethics than those decreed by whoever is in charge.

The Director Dr Aruna Sharma welcomes the speakers

Continues with 6

6. The Spirituality of India

4. The Enemy Unseen

"It is my belief that India will take the leadership in World Peace... For this I came to India."

Eva Ulian, Gandhian Study Center, September 2010

Speech at Gandhian Studies Centre- Fourth Post

2010-11-07T04:18:00.000+05:30

Secretarial Section of the Conference

Fourth Post

14. Peace depends on men being happy, if mankind is serene, he will not seek to make war, and a woman has a big part in making a man happy. If a woman inspires love, it will delete the hatred in man.

15. The facts however are much different, there is a lot of hatred in the world today this hatred is seen through the new enemy: the unseen enemy, namely the terrorist, women as terrorists.

16. The differences between a male and female brain.

17. In the achievement of harmony in one’s family- to achieve harmony in one’s village, country, continent, world becomes easier.

Meeting one of the Directors of the Gandhian Centre - Dr Aruna Sharma

By now, you may wonder what has the individual happiness of a woman have to do with world peace... a lot, believe me. If a woman is happy, her man will be too. And if a man is happy he will not be concerned with throwing bombs at people. Because warfare is also because one is inclined to hatred of another set or group of people that one wants to dominate or annihilate.

Our new century is plagued with an even more insidious enemy than I have mentioned so far- More dangerous because it touches individuals directly and acts at random, killing men, women, and children in their homes, streets, churches, temples, schools, markets... it is the unseen enemy ... Unseen because we do not see the connotations of his or her face, the colour of his eyes, the identity of his being- all we know is that he or she is called The Terrorist.

The aim of the terrorist is like that of a rapist- since he cannot legitimately obtain the object of his desire he will take it illegally by force, by abusing a woman against her will. To make things more difficult for us normal people in any country is that there is not just one type of terrorist, from one nation, from one creed, from one ideal, with one distinct demand... There are those yes, but there are also a multitude of terrorists with multiple aims. And Gandhi had something to say about that too:

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.

It is an organization that knows no country, knows no leader, knows no ideal, but seek only to blast their own destructive hatred on their designated target. It is an organization that wants to infest the world by instilling fear through threat, blackmail of being next on the list to be attacked unless one gives in to their demands, whatever those may be at that particular time, and their demands can be as changeable as the seasons. It could be money, a ransom, it could be the release of another fellow terrorist, it could be the suppression of a group of people or leader, or it could simply be the demand to be converted to their ideals and succumb to their dominance.

I wrote a short poem on this for the Stephen Gill World Peace Academy. It’s called:

The Hunt

I went out into a field

And saw a cat fleeing by.

“Hey! What’s the rush?” I asked.

“A dog wants to catch me,

So I must run.” He said.

I went into the woods

And saw a deer hurrying by,

I asked her the same question.

“A dingo wants to catch me,

So I must run.” She said.

I went into the forest

And saw some zebras dashing by,

“Who are you darting from?” I asked.

“A tiger is on our trail,

So we must run.” They said.

And then I thought, animals are just like us, except

Humans do not need to hunt other humans,

But we do.

And everyday we awake, we too get ready to run

From the men who hide the bombs.

But we humans must not allow ourselves to be chased, to be made to run, we must not allow ourselves to be intimidated by these unseen forces and here I would like to quote what I use on my blog as my motto:

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." It was Edmund Burke (1729- 1797) who said that.

An informal moment

Up to a year or two ago, these terrorists were only male, but now we see, these males have indoctrinated women to succumb to their vile influence. Fortunately there are still only few women who have allowed themselves to be brainwashed in this kind of mission of hate. And you will find there are never many women who will enrol in a mission of hate, because a woman was made to love, to give birth, not to sow death.

I have heard it say that if women ruled the world there would be less wars. That is quite feasible because by nature women are less despotic. We know it has been scientifically proven that a woman’s brain differs from that of a male. No, it is not inferior, it is not superior, it is different. A woman’s brain is more suitable to deal with details, whereas a man is more inclined to see a global view of the situation. Women are more aware of danger and sense fear more readily than men. Women are more predisposed to feelings, whereas men are more apt to logic and reason. These are some of the differences that make the nature of woman divergent from that of a man. And Gandhi of course, was well aware of these differences only too well when he says: Man can never be a woman's equal in the spirit of selfless service with which nature has endowed her. That’s another truth about men and women- women suffer in silence much more effectively than men... do I hear some men disagree?

However, coming back to the serious question of the role of women in world peace is to make their man happy. If the men are happy they will stay at home and not go wandering off to the battle field. Seriously, if there is harmony in every household in a country, there will be harmony in every town, in every city, in every village of that country and if every person of every country lived in harmony, there would be no conflict, there would be no hatred, there would be no war.

But that is not easy. It is not easy to achieve harmony in one’s own family, so you can imagine how difficult it is to reach world wide harmony, there are so many differences that we just cannot find to agree upon. And instead of trying to become more similar to one another, instead of abiding with what world nations have agreed upon and what are considered the rights of man, in some countries that is completely ignored.

Some countries completely ignore that it is a world wide agreement that all men and women should have freedom and the right to vote, the right to marry and love whom we want, the right to travel, the right to worship, the right to be educated, the right to work, the right to be taken care of in need, the right to have a roof over our heads and finally, the most abused of all and for which many students are still in behind bars in Chinese jails from 30 years ago, the right to freedom of speech.

At the Gandhi Exhibition

Continues with 5

5. The Need to Communicate

3. Women have a Role in World Peace

"It is my belief that India will take the leadership in World Peace... For this I came to India."

Eva Ulian, Gandhian Study Centre, September 2010

Speech at Gandhian Studies Centre: Third Post

2010-11-06T03:08:00.000+05:30

Presentation of books on World Peace including "Rajput"

Third Post

8. nuclear power is less to be feared in this century due to negotiations on disarmament towards the last century

9. If there are lack of resources to educate men, how much worse is it for women?

10. Women were not considered in need of education because their role was to remain in the house and be dependent on their man.

11. Women were not admitted at Oxford and Cambridge until 1920 but even so, life was still difficult and society still viewed women as in the days of Jane Austen’s novels.

12. A short parenthesis on how I personally have turned the tables on society’s thinking and survived even without marriage, something to be remembered since not all girls will marry for various reasons so one must be prepared for that too.

13. Marriage must be looked upon as a calling not as something a girl is forced to do, for the quest for happiness applies to women, not just men.

Conversing with the Principal of Ginni Devi Modi Girls College
Dr Rita Bakshi
and Dr Ram Sharma from the Stephen Gill World Peace Academy

After the last war where the first atomic bomb was used, it made humanity realize that if we continue in such an attitude it would not take much to lead mankind to self-destruction and the destruction of the world we live in.

The madness that this kind of thinking can produce has resulted in a notable mutual reduction of arms between world powers and compared to 50 years ago, our world today is relatively safer from nuclear warfare- Unfortunately that does not mean we are safe by any means. We are not safe until there are countries who continue to make, construct, fabricate weapons. There will never be any real peace until the war lords stop making, selling and buying weapons and to do this we must make such people have a change of heart. Again the great father Mahatma Gandhi, with regards to a change of heart said:

The spirit of democracy is not a mechanical thing to be adjusted by abolition of forms. It requires change of heart.

The only way to stop people making, selling and buying weapons is to provoke in these people a change of heart. To produce this change of heart is what I have based my lecture on.

Since time immemorial women were supposed to depend on men for their welfare. Women were not considered as being justified that they have a life of their own, independent of man. You only have to read Jane Austen’s novels to see this attitude in action. In Pride and Prejudice we see the Bennett’s eldest daughter, Elizabeth, who because she is a female is not allowed to inherit her parents’ property and is urged to marry her rather dim-witted but male cousin (William Collins pub. 1813) because being male, he will inherit, what should be her property. And if I am not mistaken, this law, that a woman cannot be the owner of a property, even if not by law, but in theory, at any rate, is applied in some countries today.

If in some countries it is difficult even for boys to receive an education, how much more difficult is it that girls receive an education? Gandhi knew only to well of the injustices that girls were, are even today, in some parts of the world, made to endure. This is what he thought: The girls, we say, do not have to earn; so why should they be educated? As long as such ideas persist there is no hope of our ever knowing the true value of education. (M. K. Gandhi True Education on the NCTE site)

And in the countries where this negative attitude towards girls exist there is little hope that a change of heart will take place. There is little hope as Gandhi says that as soon as you remove the cobwebs that surround truth, truth will shine clear, because it is self-evident, by nature that it is so. And the truth is that without education, be it male or female alike, there will not be any self-sufficient communities, and poverty will continue to persist.

If in some countries it is not possible for a man to earn a living and be self-sufficient, how much less probable is it that a woman can earn a living? And even if a woman is lucky enough to get a job, if she is doing the same job, is her wages the same as that of a man? In the western world for years women fought to have the same salary as that of a man, in nursing, in teaching, in business it is only in the last few decades that women have had equal pay.

It was the same for education- it is only within the last century that women were allowed to study at university. At the oldest universities in Britain Oxford and Cambridge it was only in 1921, after 700 years of their existence that women could take a degree. Up until a few decades ago, the life of a woman was not considered to be as important as that of a man. A woman was not born to have a career, to be a scholar, a politician, a scientist and women writers often had to publish under a man’s name. Society had decreed that the aim of a women in this world was to marry. In all 18^th, 19^th and even 20^th century novels we have this theme coming to the forefront continuously and of course Pride and Prejudice is the most famous epitomized by its celebrated opening sentence:

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

On the way to the Gandhi exhibition led by founder of the
Ginni Devi Modi Girls College

And that sentence is still a universally acknowledged truth even today. From very young, a girl’s only dream is to marry and if possible a prince charming full of money. But it wasn’t my dream- in spite of what society continuously tried to inculcate into me, I did not want to marry. I did not consider it indispensable to marry. I did not think that there was something decadent in me if I did not marry, or that I was too ugly to marry, because that is what society makes you believe if you don’t marry... or at least it did, 50 years ago.

As a small parenthesis, I would like to tell you about an episode that happened to me when I was a young lady. I was born in Italy and went to England as a child and became a teacher. When I was about 30 years old I went back to Italy and while on a train journey, this man kept looking at me as if he was curious or interested. I was not used to this, because in England men never looked at me in that way. I did not realize that Italian men are not like English men who are quite indifferent to the gentle sex. So I asked him if there was anything wrong, and he said, “I noticed you are not wearing a wedding ring, so you are not married?” It was a question. “No, I’m not married,” I said, “Why?” He looked at me a bit suspiciously and said, “Why not? What’s wrong with you?”

So you see, don’t be surprised if when you are 30 and still not married people will ask you, “Why not, what’s wrong with you?” Remember, I was asked that too. There are many reasons why a young lady remains unmarried nowadays, some because they want to dedicate themselves to an ideal or career, some because they don’t meet anyone they like enough to marry and some like myself, because they were never called to be married. You see marriage is a partnership, a vocation, you need to feel this calling to become a wife and above all to become a mother. If this idea does not make you feel enthusiastic then I suggest you seek your vocation in something that draws you more eagerly, because if you are going to be miserable as a married person, your husband will be miserable, your children, your parents, your friends... they will all be miserable, because you are miserable. First of all you must feel contentment and some joy in what you do, if there is none of that then maybe you should look in another direction, just as I did, because if you are happy, everyone else around you will be happy too.

Viewing Mahatma Gandhi's exhibition

Continues with 4

4. The Enemy Unseen

Back to 1. India and the Rest of the World

"It is my belief that India will take the leadership in World Peace... For this I came to India."

Eva Ulian, Gandhian Study Center, September 2010

Speech at Gandhian Studies Center- Second Post

2010-11-01T23:34:00.000+05:30

Presentation of Gandhi plaque to one of speakers

Second Post

5. lack of resources as a cause of conflict

6. lack of education as a cause of conflict with reference to the days as depicted in Charles Dickens novels

7. interaction between major powers

Strife, dangerous strife begins with resources, or the lack of resources. I f someone has a better computer, a better phone, a better car, a better television, fridge, washing machine... whatever ... than I have- then I want as good a computer, phone and so on as the other person has. And if I can’t have that which I want, the more wicked among us will fight that person or system so as to get what they want. This is an example of what selfishness and greed will do... when a community has everything they are not satisfied, they want more.

But much of strife is born from a community that has nothing and they strive to achieve to have the bare minimum that will allow them to survive because if, for example, I was born in the gutter, and worse still made to remain there, then I would fight so as to obtain my share of the earth’s resources of which they are a common good and not just the monopoly of a privileged few... I believe no one deserves to be born in the gutter or made to remain there. And yet there is no need for anyone at all to be born in the gutter as Gandhi believed: There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed. And this is true, how many times do we hear from science, that there is no need for any human being to suffer hunger, if only we could control the superfluousness of man’s greed.

Looking at European history, even less than 200 years ago the higher classes despised the lower classes and believed lower class children were not to be educated because it was feared that if they too learned to read and write they might not remain in their place which at that time was indeed the gutter- one only needs to read Charles Dickens to have numerous examples of this. (1812-1870) 140 years ago. And this, at the time, was accepted world philosophy. Since then we have become more civilized as it dawned on some enlightened members of the upper classes that if you educate a person, you make him independent and not dependent on others to provide for him or her since with the knowledge he or she has achieved such a person is able to do something for him or herself. The principle behind this was if you gave a man food he will hunger again, teach him how to till the ground he will grow his own food

Great battles and guerrillas are fought in those countries that are destitute because where resources are the least, the greedy want to take all- So you have the slaughtering of millions of Africans, and not only, by their own fellow Africans and rulers of their own same blood.

So how can there be world peace if there is slaughter in one’s own country by one’s own brethren? For this, the answer is not to be found in guns and bullets but in ploughs and tractors. That my friends is the basis for world peace, stopping the strife in one’s own country, the annihilation of extreme poverty, making people independent to care for their own needs and not depend on the aid of others. And the basic tool for this is education and instruction. Gandhi’s basic idea of education was, the bringing into being his vision of an ideal society which was formed by small, self-sufficient communities with the inhabitants being hard-working, open-hearted people living in a small functioning neighbourhood.

The welcome garland of marigolds is put around my neck

Education is therefore the antidote to poverty. This is what Gandhi thought about education:

The real difficulty is that people have no idea of what education truly is. We assess the value of education in the same manner as we assess the value of land or of shares in the stock-exchange market. We want to provide only such education as would enable the student to earn more. We hardly give any thought to the improvement of the character of the educated.

To summarize, the first ingredient for world peace is that every country examines their own inner strife, hatred, and in as far as it is humanly possible be determined to resolve their inner conflicts, for a nation at peace with itself will more easily be at peace with other nations. Just as a nation at strife with itself, with its own people, with its own institutions is more likely to be at strife and at war with other nations.

Even so, deep down we are tempted to believe our real enemies are not within our own nation because, because just like a family, it often manages to patch up arguments and conflicts an find unity for a common good. But a nation also finds unity when faced with a common enemy, feared because it has the power to destroy our country- that is what we believe to be the real enemy- they who want to conquer us and make us submit to their regime- This is what history has revealed to be true and this is what life today teaches us to be so- that the enemy is not from within, but from outside our own country.

Gathering in the Principal's office before the conference

Every major power looks upon another major power with distrust and each power is watchful on another power that it does not tamper and swallow the little fish which has NO nuclear power and therefore presents itself in a position of extreme vulnerability. But this kind of philosophy could be seen more in practise during the last century with the event of two world wars to remind us of what the consequence of mistrust and greed, greed not just for food, but for power, can lead to.

Continues with 3:

3. Women have a Role in World Peace

1. India and the Rest of the World

"It is my belief that India will take the leadership in World Peace... For this I came to India."

Eva Ulian, Gandhian Study Center, September 2010

Speech at Gandhian Studies Center- First Post

2010-10-29T21:16:00.000+05:30

GANDHI and World Peace

Speech held at the Gandhian Studies Center at Ginni Devi Modi Girls (P.G.) College. Modingar, Utter Pradesh

I am publishing the speech given by me at the Gandhian Studies Center on 25^th September 2010 in seven posts with a summary for each post at the top of the each blog.

First Post

1. brief introduction of myself, country, book and topic of speech

2. some thoughts on India in relationship with the rest of the world

3. an introduction as to why there is world conflict

4. who we consider to be our enemies

Viewing Gandhi Exhibition at the Center with the Principal of Ginni Modi Girls College
Dr Rita Bakshi and the founder of the College Dr. D.K. Modi

Ladies and Gentlemen, students,

My name is Eva Ulian. I speak English, but I am not English. I am not Canadian, I am not Australian, I am not American, I am Italian. And as you can imagine, they do not speak English in Italy, but I was brought up in the United Kingdom, so that’s one mystery solved. I am also a teacher and a writer, author of “Rajput” which narrates the events of these Princely Warriors in their efforts to stave off foreign invaders in India for over 15 hundred years, which I hope will soon be available locally with illustrations.

Why have I come here? Why have I travelled almost ten thousand miles to see you? To tell you about Italy? No, of course not....

But maybe I should tell you something about my country, just a little Because as India’s great father: Mahatma GANDHI said: “A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.”

Italy is a country in Europe in the shape of a boot and just to show you, how big, or rather, how small Italy is... to travel from the top of the boot to the bottom of the toe it will take you about 12 hours- if you drive slowly like I do, otherwise it can be quicker. It is as long as going from here to Udaipur. So you see, compared to your country, Italy is very small.

What else can I say about my country? Well, it is a country where they make and drink a lot of wine, it is a country where they make and eat a lot of spaghetti, pizza, olive oil and cheese. It is the country that gave rise and fall to the Roman Empire and the Renaissance. It is the country where the Pope lives and people say it is the country of navigators, saints and artists.

But what about your country? When I was a child I looked at the map of the world and my eye would always focus on an usual shape. It was the shape of a heart, it was the shape of India. And I wondered why it was this country, India, and no other country that was formed in the shape of a heart.

What do you know about the heart? Your heart? Anybody’s heart? Gandhi thought that Culture of the mind must be subservient to the heart. The heart is the is the centre of a human being where the mind too must be subservient to it. It is the main organ that allows a human being to live. It is the organ that pumps life giving nourishment to all the other organs. It is the centre from which we associate flows, nourishes and maintains our feelings, love and affections. And as far as I could see then as a child, I concluded India was such a heart... the centre that nourished life giving blood to all other countries in the world.

Was I wrong? Am I wrong? No, I don’t think so, because I am aware that India plays a role, a vital role in the subject I have come to talk to you about- Peace... Mahatma Gandhi and World Peace. We cannot begin to talk of peace without the name of Mahatma Gandhi. The name of Mahatma Gandhi is synonym of peace. Every thought that transpires our mind with regards to peace finds its origin in Mahatma Gandhi. Every breath we breathe and every word we speak on peace was breathed, was spoken before by Mahatma Gandhi. My thoughts, my words bring nothing new, since they are but echoes of the thoughts and words of Mahatma Gandhi.

One section of audience

Again these are not my words, these are words borrowed from the Great Father when he said: I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and Non-violence are as old as the hills. All I have done is to try experiments in both on as vast a scale as I could.

Every country in the world thinks they have enemies. A country may think China is their enemy or America is their enemy- In other words any major power, any country that has nuclear power is a potential enemy because each country does not trust the other country... they fear each other for the potential destruction they can mutually cause to one another. That is what this century has inherited from the last century – to live in fear of one another. So where does the lack of trust in one another begin? Gandhi provides this as an answer: The moment there is suspicion about a person's motives, everything he does becomes tainted. So true or not, once we allow ourselves to become suspicious, it follows that the next step leads to detestation of one another and hence we become enemies.

But the fear for one another does not always come from outside one’s country. There are also enemies within one’s own country. Sometimes they are dangerous enemies like those who held the children hostage in a Russian school, those that throw bombs against their own people as in Spain, in Ireland, or the Red Brigades and the Mafia in Italy.

A devotee of Gandhi Mr. Virendra Kr. Baranwal

But thank goodness some enemies in one’s country can be harmless, even though this is not what the Scots will say when they tell you that the English do not exist. Yes, you can ask a Scot how he gets on with the English, and he will say, “The English...? Never heard of them.” Or in Italy, the north and the south continuously call each other names that are not repeatable here. I am sure something similar also happens in India. Each Region thinks their Region is best. Do you think Uttar Pradesh is better than Rajasthan, Gujarat or any other place? Of course you do. Is there anyone here who thinks U.P. is not the best? So does that mean that all the other people in India are your enemy? Of course not. What we feel about the piece of area we belong to is just a form of harmless pride, harmless competition, like one cricket team against another.

That is the lighter side, however we cannot deny that in every country, as I explained earlier, there are always people who fight against their own people in their own country and peace, world peace cannot be achieved if within a country, any country, there is strife, danger and annihilation of one’s own kind- never mind if they come from the top of the social scale or the bottom, each one of them are still part of that country’s conscience, still part of their own flesh and blood.

"It is my belief that India will take the leadership in World Peace... For this I came to India."

Eva Ulian, Gandhian Study Center, September 2010

Continues...
2. Lack of Resources at Base of World Conflict

4. Kumbhalgarh: Prince Udai has a Marriage Problem: Part Two

2010-10-16T18:58:00.000+05:30

Prince Udai spent his teeager years hidden in Kumbhalgarh

In the meantime, Jait, the son of the much loved Sajja who died at the Ganesh Pol during the 2^nd Sack of Chittor, had settled in Marwar where he had taken his wife, two daughters and the quiet, dutiful heir, Man Singh. The alliance between Jait and the Ruler of the Marwar Rathore Rajputs, Rao Maldeo was sealed by the latter bequeathing Jait with the Jagir of Kherwa. In return Jait gave his eldest daughter, Swarup Devi, in marriage, but she was still too young for marriage.

“You have my promise, when the time comes I will give her to you,” Jait said to the impatient Maldeo while striding in the Ruler’s darbar waiting for the other chiefs of Marwar to arrive.

“You know, I like them young!” Rao Maldeo said maliciously.

“She’s only five years old!” Jait said striding away leaving the insufferable Rao to entertain the rest of the party.

School girls visiting the Fortress

“Ah, here come the Chauhans Rajputs from Jalore,” the Rao said looking in the direction of the main gate and went to greet them as the party dismounted from their horses. “Akhey Raj Songara, You are welcome, honourable neighbour. How are things on the Golden Mount?”

“The Fortress holds fast, my esteemed Rao Maldeo,” the Raj said as they embraced.

“And your daughters?”

“All spoken for?”

“How do you mean?” Rao Maldeo asked not hiding his disappointment.

“Is this not the question why we have assembled here today?” The Raj reminded, “My marriage!”

“Marriage indeed, but not yours! Or are you forgetting the throne of Mewar is in need of an heir and that heir is in need of a wife?”

“The marriage of Banbir!”

“That scoundrel is not an heir, he is a usurper!” The Raj paused. “The throne of Mewar has been empty long enough it is time for the real heir to return.”

“But there is no other heir!” Rao Maldeo protested, “Banbir was the unofficial son of Prithvi Raj, who never made it to the throne because he died before his father- so Banbir should have had the throne instead of his uncle Sangram.”

Some young ladies from a university college on visit to Fortress

“Like you said, Banbir is not the official son and bastards do not inherit thrones,” Raj Akhey paused, “That is why this question of marriage that we are here to discuss today is so important.”

“First we must have a legitimate heir,” Rao Maldeo objected.

“We have one…”

“An adopted one?”

“Indeed not…”

“Who then?” Maldeo said exasperated.

“No less than a son of the Great Sangram,” Raj Akhey announced triumphantly.

“Impossible!” Maldeo said laughing cynically. Sangram’s sons are all dead, Banbir saw to that.

“Banbir thought he had killed all of Sangram’s sons, but Udai was spared.”

“How is that possible?” Maldeo said incredulous, “I had word from Karamchand himself that Banbir had put the sword through Prince Udai the same night he had put the sword through Vikramaditya.”

“But things did not go as they appeared.”

“No?” Rao Maldeo prodded irritably, “And pray, how did things go?” he asked impatiently, “would you care to explain?”

More students visiting Fortress

“I had word from the governor of the town of Kumbhalgarh that an illustrious guest has been staying at the fortress for a few years now…”

“Yes, his nephew… my dear Raj you are not telling us anything new…”

“With a wet-nurse from the Mewar Royal Family?” As the Raj finished speaking, Maldeo’s eyes switched back and forwards intuitively.

“Has… has anyone recognized this woman?” Maldeo asked in a whisper.

“I am going there myself after this assembly…”

“Do you know this woman…? Can you recognize this wet-nurse?”

“Panna Dhai, her name is Panna Dhai… No, not I personally, I have never met her- that is why I am not leaving alone.”

“Oh?” was all Maldeo could say.

“I am taking Jait Singh with me… the son of the honourable Sajja of Delwara. Jait Singh not only knows Panna Dhai like his own mother but he knows Prince Udai like his own brother- should he have had one.” Akhey Raj Songara looked in front of him and said, “Here comes Raj Jait himself!”

School girls visiting a garden area of Fortress

“When this business of recognition is over,” Rao Maldeo said turning to Raj Akhey, “maybe you could spare one of your daughters for me.”

“Take no heed of our honourable friend,” Jait said, “I’ve already promised him my eldest daughter but she’s still a child.”

“Your Jeevant Kunwar is of child bearing age, is she not?” Maldeo asked Akhey.

“Yes, but as I said, all my daughters are spoken for, especially Jeevant Kunwar,” Akhey answered irritably.

“Ah, I see,” Maldeo said opening his eyes wide, “You plan to marry Jeevant Kunwar to the heir of Mewar… is that not the plan?”

People nowadays live at the foot of the fortress as clothes on line show

That was indeed the plan and the whole assembly approved of it joyfully grateful that there was a strong probability that a son of the Great Sanga had survived, and who better would know than the Jhala Raj Jait who had spent the whole of his childhood at the court of Mewar? As Jait rode alongside Akhey Raj Songara, the excitement inside him grew. “I pray the magnificent sun to look down kindly on this offspring of Sisodia,” Jait said to his companion. “And that it has not been just an illusion.”

“Aye to that,” Akhey said, “otherwise my plans to be the grandfather of the heir to the throne of Mewar have been but vain thoughts.”

“Had you not better aim to be the father-in-law of the present heir to the throne of Mewar first before counting the chikens that have not hatched yet?” Jait said gamely. They rode on in silent expectation across the Marwar border into Mewar and then plunged south towards Kumbhalgarh.

A watch post to see approaching visitors or enemy

“Do you not think it was rather a hasty decision to bring Jeevant Kunwar with you?” Jait asked. But Raj Akhey shook his head emphatically.

“No, I do not.”

“What if it isn’t Udai? What if Panna Dhai lied and it was her son she saved and not the Prince?”

“We shall see in a few days when we get there, won’t we?”

“He was fourteen when I last saw him,” Jait said pensive.

“So?” the Raj asked, “He’ll be seventeen now, is that a problem for you?”

“No, no I don’t think so,” Jait said with a smile, “faces do not change in three years!”

“If the boy that the Governor of Kumbhalgarh is protecting is indeed the heir to the throne of Mewar then there is no time to lose- Udai must have a son immediately!” Raj Akhey looked at the column following behind. “Hence, the needful presence of my child bearing daughter.”

“Let’s hope he likes her!” Jait commented as he tried to get a glimpse of Jeevant Kunwar through the heavily curtained carriage windows in the train behind.

Another watch post

Some weeks later when the party had at last reached the immense walls of Kumbhalgarh, from the roof top, Udai saw the procession, “Uncle Asha, here they come,” Udai cried. The Governor hurried to the boy’s side.

“Are you ready, your Highness?” the Governor said with solicitude, “Remember, you are the rightful heir to the throne of Mewar and those people need to see that.”

“You have taught me a multitude of things in these years…”

“They must see those royal qualities that are inborn and not the arrogance of your brother Vikramaditya.” The Governor smiled, “But I need not worry about that, you are gentle of heart.”

“Yes, my noble uncle, I try to be.”

“I know that,” the Governor said and then irritated added, “And stop calling me uncle… I am no uncle of yours!”

“Look, uncl… I mean Shah Asha, there’s the carriage… is that…

“Jeevant Kunwar- your future bride. As soon as you have been recognized as the heir of Mewar you will be married and have a son…”

“Immediately?” Udai asked.

“Immediately!”

“And I have to do that… what you told me?” Udai glanced to his lower limbs.

“Without question!”

“What if I have a problem…?”

“Don’t call me!” was the Governor’s swift reply. He looked at Udai’s puzzled face. “You just try and try again until you get it right.” And of course Udai did get it right because he managed to father at least twenty sons and even more so daughters, but that’s jumping ahead of time. The Governor placed his hand on the Prince’s shoulder, “Go now,” he admonished, “go to the darbar, you must meet them on your own.”

The procession would have passed through this carriage way

As the procession of horses, carriages and elephants poured through the immense main entrance into the darbar of Kumbhalgarh, Udai approached the first horsemen who promptly dismounted. The servants took the horses and Raja Jait neared the Royal Figure, took a lasting look and bowed, then turning to the party claimed in a loud voice, “His Royal Highness Prince Udai of Mewar.” Raja Akhey Songara neared, bowed and proclaimed:

School boys on visit to Fortress. And the story was passed on from father to son

“His Royal Majesty Maharana Udai Singh of Mewar!” the whole court bowed and paid the newly acknowledged king homage.

From "Rajput" by Eva Ulian

3. Kumbhalgarh Hides The Young Prince Udai: Part One

2010-10-16T02:08:00.000+05:30

I reached Kumbhalgarh on the 1^st October. The sun was white and brilliant, so extremely clear and powerful that it left one breathless. The walls themselves were forbidding and with the thickness that seemed impenetrable by any human force. I began my climb upwards, stopping every few yards to redeem what ever breath was possible to inhale. I stopped, I paused, I wondered as the story of how those same forbidding walls had enveloped the young heir to the throne of Mewar Udai, protecting him from slaughter for many years from other family members who had set their eye on the throne.

School boys on visit to the Fortress
Udai was about this age when he was taken by his nurse to the safety of
KUMBHALGARH

I opened my book Rajput at Chapter Eleven, and began to read one of the many incidents that took place inside these walls: here’s an extract:

“Banbir’s eyes flashed furtively scrutinizing all eyes upon him. This was his moment, the moment he had waited for, ever since his father Crown Prince Prithvi had been poisoned and uncle Sangram was placed on the Ghaddi instead. Being Regent was not exactly being the Maharana, but that, Banbir promised himself, would come later after the little business of getting rid his two cousins first- Vikramditya would be no problem, no obstacle would bar his way- little Udai’s case may present a little more difficult. “I’m not so sure Banbir is quite the right choice, Kanji murmured to himself as the Sardars, much to Banbir’s exultation, proclaimed him Regent.

On the way up I met some people who found it just as hard to make the upward climb

Being confined to Palace arrest did not prevent Vikramaditya from enjoying those pleasures that a life of irresponsible debauchery could offer and it was during one of those occasions when the disgraced Maharana was frolicking in the Zenana among his concubines that Banbir seized his chance to put a sword through Vikramaditya’s body several times. “At least he died happy!” Banbir sneered as he pulled out the sword for the last time while the concubines fled screaming. However, Banbir was not satisfied, as he had claimed, there were t-w-o heirs too many to the throne of Mewar and immediately set himself to search out young Udai.

Palaces and Fortresses were divided in female only and male only areas as above

One of the Nautch girls (dancing girls) dashed into the rawala where Panna Dhai, the nurse maid had just put her own son and Prince Udai to bed. When he was an infant she had breast fed him having had a child herself when Udai was born. Breathless and in terror the Nautch girl told Panna Dhai what had happened in the Zenana. Immediately Panna Dhai ordered the girl to bring to her the strong manservant to take a basket down to the river. In the basket she placed the young Prince and told Udai it was a game of hide and seek and under no account was anyone to find out he was inside the basket. Broken hearted she instructed her own son to go into the Prince’s bed and covered him with the royal blanket. When Banbir burst into the room he thrust his sword immediately into the body that lay in the royal bed while the nursemaid looked on in horror as Banbir murdered her son.

School boys on visit to Fortress
The Nurse, Panna Dhai exchanged her own son with the Royal Prince Udai

Anguished, Panna Dhai packed some clothes, then attended the quick cremation of her son and with tears still stinging her eyes she ran down to the river where the servant was waiting with the basket. Her aim was to reach Kumbhalgarh through the perilous rocks of the mountainous Arvallis, North West of Chittor. However, when they came to a town, the voice had spread that an unruly servant and her son had stolen from the house of Mewar and was not to be given aid, penalty the wrath of Maharana Vikramaditya. So all doors were shut upon Panna Dhai and her royal charge. Only the Bhils, always faithful to the Mewar Crown offered shelter and food as she struggled with the young Prince on the rugged paths that made their feet bleed, through the infamous Aravalli Range, past Gogunda and still further onwards through rough mountainous wilderness that even soldiers found it hard to overcome.

Panna Dhai and her Royal Charge had to trudge through the
treacherous hills of the Aravalli that surround the whole of
Rajasthan

Once at Kumbhalgarh, the immensity overcame the solitary exiles: the width of the wall could easily accommodate six carriages and horses, the wall itself was second to none in dimension but to the Great Wall of China. Asha Depura Shah, a Jain merchant who was the governor of that area, when discovering the real identity of the young Prince offered his protection and spread the misleading news that Udai was Asha’s own nephew.

The magnitude of the boundary walls of Kumbhalgarh

Continues with 4
The Young Prince has a Marriage Problem